Wonderful Thanksgiving Weekend

This Thanksgiving weekend has been wonderful.....
The weather for the last three days was absolutely beautiful until today with rain and snow coming later.
Last night, as the sun was setting, there was a beautiful crescent moon with Jupiter and Venus close by to each other. Awesome sight indeed....tomorrow night, they're supposed to be all very close together, but it's supposed to be snowing here, so I don't think I'll get to see it.
Thanksgiving Day went beautifully and dinner was a hit. I used the old china and after everyone left at 10, Mark and I washed it all up and put it away. Happy day...
Friday we went downtown to noon Mass and then out to lunch and to the train display at Duke Energy (where Mark works). A family tradition for us. Friday night, Mark, John, and I went to Adoration and then out to a coffee-ice cream-shop with friends. Another pleasant day.
Yesterday, I spent doing things around here all day. Then Mark and I went out to do some Christmas shopping and a late dinner. After we returned home, we sat up with Beth watching a movie.
Today is a rainy one....
We went to 11 AM Mass, out to lunch and then back home. Beth baked Christmas cookies while I kept Will updated on the Bengals' game....another loss! Will and his friends are driving home from Omaha today. They borrowed my minivan, so I'm going to be up waiting for them to come home. The weather has been bad for them...driving through snow in Iowa. They are two hours behind their usual time and traffic is still very slow, he's texted to me, so I know I'm in for a late night. The weather is supposed to turn to snow here later.
But I would rather have him back late as longs as he stays safe. I've been praying for them all day...

Advent begins....I absolutely love this time of year....

A blessed, peaceful first Sunday of Advent to you all......

A Happy, Blessed Thanksgiving Day to all!!

Getting ready for Thanksgiving

I'm in a mad dash to get ready for Thanksgiving. It's at our house this year and the head count for dinner is up to 20 and may go up again to 24 or so...hopefully, I will know today.
For some wondrous reason, I'm excited about doing it all this year. I went to the grocery store last night and I felt downright festive going through the crowds of people doing their shopping for the holiday meal. Mark was home cleaning the carpets which is getting to be more of a challenge since they are almost 19 years old and we really live in these rooms. He finished washing the first floor windows on Saturday, so the house should be basically clean come Thursday. Wednesday shall truly be the mad dash..
I've decided that I'm not going to care that my sister-in-law who has a gorgeous home is coming. My first floor is in need of painting and redoing, but I'm not going to worry about it. All I'm going to care about is that everyone is here and that we have a good time. I don't have beautiful centerpieces and decorations about like she does every year, but that's her, not me. Not that I wouldn't like having those things, I just don't have the time at this stage in my life and I'm not blessed with her creativity. So I will pull out Mark's grandmother's china, and my great-great grandmother's china and I'm not going to worry if something gets broken...it's meant to be used and enjoyed.
What I really wish I had was one of those double ovens...too many things that I would love to be able to put in there come Thursday!

I am thankful to our dear Lord for these happy feelings....now I just have to get off here and get in gear...

A blessed Tuesday to all.....

Letting go....

Sometimes I can't believe that I am beyond the middle years of my life....a new stage is coming. I feel its presence.
I look at my parents and know that I am watching them slowly fade away from me.
I look at my children and know that they too are slowly letting go of my hand.
The pain that separation brings is bittersweet.

Mark and I slept in late this morning and when I woke up, for some reason, I remembered back to the Saturday mornings when our young children would pile into our bed and wake us up.....the days when I would be carrying one little one and holding another one's hand.
I look at my grown-up daughter and remember the baby clinging tightly to my neck...sleeping contentedly upon me. The little girl who was always so happy when I returned home from a rare excursion forth from her. She once told me that the smell of my perfume always made her feel safe....when I would come home from an evening out and check in on her tucked in her bed, she would think happily to herself, "Mommy is home. I am safe."
But I have had to learn to let her go....to release her hand.
Lately I am feeling the pangs of letting Michael's hand go....he is tugging it away and I feel the tear in my heart.
I look at John and feel the missed first two years and how difficult it was to help him take hold of my hand...that it was only through His grace that it happened at all and I know the day is soon upon me when he shall pull his hand away too.
I think of the "son of my heart" our dear Lord gave me more than seven years ago and the pain that comes with never having been privileged to have held his hand at all....

They are a gift....these hands to hold....these hearts and souls to love...a precious gift.

Happy Birthday Beth!!!!!!

Twenty-two years ago today, our beautiful daughter was born. She was the answer to my prayers....almost nine years of longing for motherhood.
What a wonderful gift the dear Lord gave us!!!
Mark always would say when we were struggling through infertility and waiting on the adoption process that "Good things come to those who wait." and he was right.

Today she has her first job interview for a nursing job at Children's Hospital. She will graduate in May and they start the process already. A little nervous way to begin her birthday! But I know she will do great....

May our dear Lord always guide your footsteps.....

A Mixed Weekend

Beth's team did themselves proud. They did lose, but it was 1-0 in double overtime. They held them off all through regulation play and through the first overtime. The parents from the other team were shocked and the coach from the other team told our girls that they were all surprised. They had expected it to be an easy win. Our girls played with a lot of heart.
Beth's foot caused her a lot of pain, but she stuck it out and played all 103 minutes of the game. She and I both cried at the end. We had begun to hope that we were going to get a little miracle and pull off an upset, and it didn't happen. But mainly it was because it was her last game ever...

She rode home with the team on the bus and she and I kept texting each other throughout the seven hours. I knew she was depressed and it was a bit depressing to me also. The weather on the way home was terrible too. We drove through rain the whole time and after dark, it began to be foggy in some places and the glare on the wet road was terrible....a bit stressful.

We had left to go to Michigan on Thursday afternoon. We stopped for dinner in Anderson, IN and as we were leaving, a beautiful full moon was rising. I was able to enjoy its beauty for the next few hours....its light shimmering on all the little lakes and ponds we saw on the way. I said my rosary in the car and it dawned on me then that it was my normal evening for going to Adoration alone and this feeling of longing to go just overwhelmed my soul. The desire to be with our dear Lord filled my heart....

Yesterday, Beth and I spent most of the day shopping. Her birthday is on Wednesday, so I said we could shop for her birthday and do some Christmas shopping. I asked Mark to pray for me before we left....I absolutely loathe most malls. I always sense evil there....
We spent most of the time in Macy's which wasn't too bad, but when we were out in the mall, I felt it. The music is always unnerving to me, even the so-called Christmas music they were playing...music with no beauty. Disturbing to my soul....

Today we went to 11AM Mass and then to churchhome this afternoon....a blessed time....a peaceful day.

I hope and pray that all of you had a blessed Sunday....filled with the gift of His joy....

Leaving today

We're leaving this afternoon for Michigan. Her game is at 11 AM tomorrow, so we figured it would be best to leave today and stay overnight versus getting up at 3 AM to drive there in time for the game. The weather is supposed to be 45 degrees and showers at game time....sounds like fun! If they win by some miracle of God, then they will play again on Saturday but from all reports, this team is a nasty one, and they haven't lost a game yet this year. I just hope Beth doesn't come home hurt worse than she already is! Her foot is feeling a lot better. She rested it through Tuesday and finally practiced again yesterday after they taped it up and put a huge cushiony thing in her shoe which she says helped a lot. Thank you for all of your prayers!
There's so much more I would like to write, but it will have to wait until a different day. Hopefully, Sunday afternoon I will have time to put some of it down. So many stresses in our lives these days, it seems. Jesus, I trust in You....

I will be quiet here until at least Friday night or Saturday. May our dear Lord bless you all through this time with His peace and strength....

On to Michigan

We just found out that Beth's next game will be on Friday in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We had hoped it would be at Otterbein College in Columbus only 2 hours away, but they're in a different bracket. They're playing the team that is ranked #4 in the nation and they're awesome so we're going to need a little miracle to win this one. Beth's team has been able to win because they have a really good defense and Beth has been able to score when they've needed it. No one else has scored in a tough game in a long time, so Beth is feeling the pressure and hoping that someone else can come through and score this time, especially if her foot is still bothering her a lot.
Beth's foot is feeling a bit better today, but she's taking a break from practice for a couple of days to rest it. She says she is playing no matter what!
It will be exciting.....we've never been to Michigan before so this will be a first. I only wish it could be in summer instead of late fall! If they do win, we will have to stay and she would play again on Saturday. I guess we'll have to pack an overnight bag in case that happens. I'm really hoping that it will at least be a close game so that it isn't embarassing....

A blessed Monday to all.....

Another win...

Beth's team won today, 1-0 again, and once again Beth scored the only goal. Unfortunately, however, she is hurt. Her foot had been bothering her since Tuesday's game and today the pain was really bad. She scored her goal in the 27th minute of the game and several minutes later, the coach pulled her because she was limping. They taped it up during halftime, but it was still bad. She tried letting her play for a few minutes during the second half, but not long. Since the defense was able to keep the other team from scoring, her coach didn't feel the need to put her back in, so she rested her.
So they won their conference tournament championship and go on to the NCAA Division III tournament, probably on Wednesday. They will decide by Monday where and when the game will be. Meanwhile, she's going to try and rest her foot and hope that it's a bit better by Wednesday. She keeps saying she's going to play Wednesday no matter how badly it hurts. This could be their last game and her last game ever...
The pain is below her big toe and runs down into her arch...she says it a different pain than any other she has ever had in her foot. I'm worried that she fractured it, but she says she just wants to play....ATHLETES! What can you do with them?

We have a birthday party to go to tonight and I desperately need a nap. I hope all of you are having a peaceful, blessed weekend....

God comforts us at Mass today....

Today's first reading for Mass is so appropriate....I think our dear Lord is speaking directly to us here....He is comforting our hearts with these words and encouraging us to fight on....what a blessing!

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians 2:12-18:

My beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work. Do everything without grumbling or questioning, that you may be innocent and blameless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world, as you hold on to the word of life, so that my boast for the day of Christ may be that I did not run in vain or labor in vain......

Sad night

Well, it's a good thing Beth's team won her game last night....it was the only thing to be happy about.
We also lost our good and faithful congressman....absolutely breaks my heart.

Dear Lord, have mercy on us.

Beth does it again....

Beth's team won!!! She scored the only goal of the game with about 10 minutes left in the game. Very exciting!!!
We move on to the conference final on Saturday.

A blessed night to you all....

Another brag post

Woohoo! Beth was just named her conference's Women Player of the Month in all sports! She's the third woman player from her college to ever win player of the month and only the fourth woman soccer player in her conference to win player of the month.
Way to go, darlin' daughter!

A Big Day

Big day today....
I've already voted absentee and I'm glad because the pictures on television of people lining up to wait to vote are unbelievable. I used to work in the polls with my mom (I always got stuck being presiding judge too) and I am looking at these lines and I'm so glad that I'm not working. Anytime there was a line, people would be in bad humor by the time they reached you, and the poor workers would always get the brunt of their anger.
I spent a bit of time in church yesterday praying. The boys and I went to 8 AM Mass. Then John and I went in the afternoon while our parish was having Eucharistic Adoration for the election and Mark and I went last night for a while. We were the only ones there and we prayed a rosary together for our country.
May our dear Lord have mercy on us all....

Tonight is a big game for Beth....the semifinals for the conference tournament. If they win, they move on to the conference finals on Saturday. If they lose, it will be Beth's last soccer game and will be very emotional.
Beth has had a big week. After last week's big win, she was named to ESPN Magazine's Academic All-District's First Team. This is for academic excellence (she has a 3.8 GPA) and for excellence in soccer. This puts her in the running for All-American. She was also named her conference's Player of the Week again for her game-winning goal last week.
Tonight will be a big night around here. We will come home from her game to watch the election results. I hope that I'm not as tired as I have been these last two evenings. I guess it has something to do with the time change, but both nights I've been ready to go to bed before 10 which is rare for me. I'm usually a night owl. Last night I was asleep by 11 and I didn't get up until 8 this morning...

A blessed Tuesday to all....may you be comforted by His loving presence....

Happy All Saints' Day!!

We've had busy Saturdays with soccer these last two months and now I have a free Saturday....my to-do list is so long that it's overwhelming! So I'm prioritizing and starting through it. I have a few things checked off already and I have the afternoon and evening to hopefully check off a few more.
It's a beautiful day so washing my first floor windows is on my list. Our house has 27 windows so sometimes it seems overwhelming trying to get them washed...unfortunately, it ends up being only once a year or so. Since I'm having Thanksgiving at our house, I want to get the living room, dining room, and kitchen windows all washed...they need it!
Mark and I started our day with Mass this morning and then Mark made pancakes for all of us....awesome!

I hope all of you have a blessed, holy All Saints' Day!!!